


sasuke and the baby: or, how to raise a child when you're only eight

by chadsuke



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-08
Updated: 2019-05-26
Packaged: 2019-07-08 10:14:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 924
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15928325
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chadsuke/pseuds/chadsuke
Summary: Itachi misses a newborn in the hospital during his slaughter of the clan.Guess that means Sasuke's a parent now, huh.A story told in drabbles.





	1. Chapter 1

“Am I… the only one left?” Sasuke asks the Hokage, even though he thinks he already knows the answer. All those bodies, all that blood…

The Hokage smiles at that, which like, what? “Actually… no.”

Sasuke’s basically been dissociating since he woke up, which is probably why he didn’t notice one of the Anbu holding a bundle of blankets. The masked figure steps forward and presents the bundle to Sasuke. He stares for a second, and takes it.

It’s a baby.

What.

“Two days ago, we had Uchiha Himeko pass away after childbirth. She was a single mother, and didn’t particularly have anyone – she was cremated, as per her wishes, and we were about to contact your Father to see who would take custody of her child, or if it would go to the orphanage. Itachi must have not known it existed.”

Sasuke stares at the sleeping baby. Its eyes are closed, cheeks puffy but not the usual pallor of Uchiha – the father must have not been an Uchiha, given its slightly darker skin. There’s just the tiniest puff of black hair on the top of its head. Carefully, gently, Sasuke pokes its cheek with a finger, but it doesn’t stir.

“Does it have a name?” he asks, and the Hokage shakes his head.

“No – she passed on before she could give it one. It’s up to you, I suppose.”

Up to-

Oh, oh my god, Sasuke is in charge of this baby. This baby is the last of the Uchiha clan along with him (because That Man doesn’t count) and Sasuke is in charge of caring for it and making sure it eats and lives and-

...He has no idea how to take care of a baby.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> me @ my fellow naruto lesbians for enabling me: this is for u
> 
> also i don't like calling a baby 'it' but it's ic for them so w/e


	2. Chapter 2

He doesn’t name the baby.

Sasuke has no idea _what_ to name the baby, and it feels weird and wrong to do it, so he doesn’t. The baby is just ‘the baby’ – it’s not like it NEEDS a name yet, anyway.

He has the infant in a sling across his chest, and he’s not sure where the ANBU got it from but he also doesn’t want to ask, so he just. Carries the baby home.

“Are you sure you don’t want to live somewhere else, Sasuke?” the Hokage had asked, but Sasuke thinks the idea is so. Bizarre. Why would he want to live anywhere else other than the clan compound.

But then he walks inside and he feels like the whole place reeks of blood. The scent of copper hits his nose, hits his the back of his mouth, and he crumples, falls to his knees just within the wall of the compound.

They’re all dead, they’re all gone, and he can’t- he can’t-

There’s a quiet gurgle from his chest, a quiet whine, and he opens his eyes to look down at the infant hanging across his chest.

“Right,” he says. “Right. Sorry.”

* * *

But he doesn’t know how to take care of a baby. Doesn’t know how to feed it or clothe it or change it and it’s not like there’s books or classes on this, right?

Sasuke knows of one person who can help him, though.

He knocks sharply on the door, uncaring that it’s late, and he’s greeted by the bleary, just-woken-up face of the man he’s seeking. “Iruka-sensei,” he says. “How do you be a parent?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading! you can find me at chadsuke on tumblr, where i take drabble prompts.


	3. Chapter 3

Iruka-sensei takes Sasuke shopping.

It's really late and honestly Sasuke didn't think there'd be any stores open this late, but ninja DO have weird hours so he guesses it makes sense. Sasuke pushes the cart and the baby burbles on his chest and Iruka puts a ton of stuff in the cart. Bottles, food, toys, diapers... "There's probably some of this in the clan compound," Sasuke says.

Iruka-sensei gives him a look that Sasuke can't quite read. "Do you want me to help you look through?" he asks cautiously.

Oh.

Yeah, maybe they have them there, but to have to  _look through-_

Sasuke shakes his head and Iruka-sensei nods and keeps adding stuff.

The total is enough at the cashier that it makes his teacher wince, but Sasuke pulls out his little wallet and pays for it. Iruka-sensei tries to protest, but Sasuke doesn't meet his eyes. "Nobody else is gonna use it," he says, and that's enough to stop his teacher from saying more.

They bundle all the stuff into bags and drag it back to Iruka-sensei's little apartment and his teacher sighs. "Have you fed... him? her? yet?" he asks.

Sasuke doesn't respond to half the question and just shakes his head. "No."

Iruka-sensei squints at him. "Have... you eaten yet?"

Sasuke shakes his head again. "No." He sees where this is going, though. "But I'm not hungry."

"Well," Iruka-sensei says after a minute. "I'm hungry. I'm going to heat up some instant ramen - will you eat some if I do? I don't want to eat while you're sitting here without anything."

He carefully doesn't point out that it's a ridiculous hour in the morning and that he woke Iruka-sensei up from being asleep and he's really not that stupid, Iruka-sensei, he's the smartest student you have and nods instead. "Okay."

"Good." He's relieved there isn't more of a fight. "I'll go put some on, Sasuke, and then I'll show you how to feed the baby."

"Okay," Sasuke says again. He knew going to Iruka-sensei was a good idea.

Iruka-sensei has to deal with kids every day for the rest of his life - there's no WAY he wouldn't have known what to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> an anon requested that i write another chapter so here you go!!!
> 
> you can find me on my writing blog, ftcoye, on tumblr, where i take drabble prompts. thanks for reading!


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